The Whole Bargain
by marzoog
Summary: Chapter 3! Mary makes a wish on a star to look like Leslie West. What happens if she gets more than she bargined for? And will she ever find happiness?
1. The Wish

A/N I finally did it. You can all be happy. 

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't the character (unless I make them up), don't sue me. There will be a few of my own characters in here and I own all of them. But I did get my inspiration from LM Montgomery, and this applies throughout the story. I got banned from uploading fanfiction for a week for forgetting a disclaimer in February, so just know that this applies for the whole story, incase, as I am prone to doing, I forget to put one is each chapter. There. Now no one can report me for forgetting a disclaimer! 

Summary: Mary makes a wish on a star to look like Leslie West and it comes true, but will looking like Leslie bring the tragedy that she had into her life as well? 

**The Whole Bargain**

Chapter One 

_"The Wish"_

Mary closed her copy of Anne's House of Dreams with a sigh. She had been reading her favorite chapter, _Red Roses. It made her depressed because there was none of this wonderful thing called Romance (of course Mary spelt it in her mind with a Capital R) left in the world. Reading that chapter always made her go into the world of L. M. Montgomery, a place of Romance and lost innocence, where there was no worry over school and boys and how she was going to pass her dreaded Mars project in science, and things like that. At least not in this chapter; this chapter belonged strictly to romance. _

It also made her depressed because she was so ugly in comparison to Leslie West. She was short, fairly fat, with brown hair that had glints of gold in it, and she concluded the only thing pretty about her were her eyes. Her eyes were indeed beautiful, hidden behind glasses and thick, black, long lashes. They were sometimes as blue as the sea; sometimes as green as grass, but usually they were gray, the same color as steel, but they were friendly eyes, not cold or stony. Her whole personality was in those eyes. They were as laughing and bubbly, yet serious as she was. 

She was a person of many sides; it would take not forever but a considerable amount of time to get to the core of her being. She was a loyal, friendly, and smart person. But one had to say she was ugly, at least on the outside, for they also had to say she had the loveliest personality if you were her friend. You didn't want her for an enemy, but you didn't always need her for a friend. She was so friendly that she would always help out a person even if they weren't one of her best friends. But mostly people would say she was a little left on the outside. 

This evening she was sitting on her bed looking out at the stars from her Minnesotan house window. It was beautiful, and since the house was out in the country one could see the stars without having to go outside or use a telescope. You could see them just from your window. 

Suddenly she saw a shooting star; it streaked across the sky. Mary had always heard that you could wish on a shooting star, and it would come true as long as you didn't tell anyone what it was. Mary hadn't ever done it before, but she decided to try. Then she wondered what to wish for. An idea popped into her head. She closed her eyes, and said to the star:

 _"I wish I looked like Leslie West". _

She didn't know why. Posibily she thought if she looked like Leslie West, the romance that Leslie had would follow. She could be so beautiful that guys would crowd around her; like Dana Gordon, the head cheerleader. 

*~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning she woke up and trudged into the bathroom, she noticed she didn't feel her legs were that fat and she defiantly felt taller, but she thought nothing of it. Then she put some water on her face so that her eyes could open. Then she looked up into the mirror, and almost screamed. 

She had long blond hair and deep blue eyes. She was no longer fat and short, but tall and slender. She took out her book and read the description of Leslie. It was all there. She was exactly as Leslie West was described. She let out a scream. Her Mother, who was washing dishes downstairs, heard it, and dropped the plate she was washing. 

"Mary are you alright?" she said, sounding concerned.

"Yes, yes. I 'm fine." Was Mary's shaky reply. 

"Ok, but be down soon for breakfast."

"I will"

After this conversation Mary suddenly smiled, wasn't she now beautiful? But some where deep down, she was worried, would people notice? They wouldn't recognize her, they would kick her out, and no body would know her. 

 "Um, Mom …..Could you come up here for a second?"

"What is it?" said her mom once she got to Mary's room door.

"Do I look, um, different to you?" Mary blurted out the question.

"No, you look like yourself. Why do you ask?  You know you're beautiful. And you are awfully tall and slender for a twelve year old." 

"Twelve…" thought Mary, "No! Leslie West's brother died when she was twelve. I couldn't bear it if Ben died." 

Aloud she said, "Mom, where is Ben?"

Ben was Mary's younger brother, and she loved him very much. He was several years younger than her, and now she wasn't sure what his age was. Since she was only twelve, his age must be different too. Mary had been thirteen, and Ben eleven. Her mother answered her next question. 

"Your little brother is riding in with your dad on the tractor. Your dad's moving all the extra grass to the barn. If you ask me, an eight year old shouldn't be riding in on a tractor." 

Mary's heart, if it was physically possible, stopped beating for a while.

*~*~*~*~*~*

 She ran like a deer over to the barn. _This is not happening! Was the thought going through her head. She had to get there in time to save him…She had to. She couldn't have Ben died. If he did she would never forgive herself._

An few minutes later a scream could be heard from the barn at the William's house. It was the sound of ultimate heartbreak; no one who heard it could ever forget it. No one. Nothing more tragic could be heard or imagined. 

Caroline Bysent could be seen running to the house. When she came back out she wouldn't talk about it. She sobbed for hours. After finishing with her grief she finally said to her parents:

"Ben Williams is dead. He was crushed by the tractor. Mary took it to heart badly, and she wouldn't let the body go. They called me, as I am Mary's best friend. I had to try to coax her to give up the body. I'll never forget her eyes; they looked as though all the tears that were ever shed and would ever be were held up in them. She didn't cry at all, just that one scream. Oh, it was awful." And started sobbing again. 

Then the unfortunate best friend of Mary cried herself to sleep. She wish she hadn't seen the small dead body of Ben, who had a nice young boy in her opinion, in her best friend's arms. Looking at her friend had been worse than if she had been sobbing. It was agony just to see the pain in Mary's eyes. 

Mary felt as though she was dead. It was all her fault. Her wish had killed someone, her beloved little brother. She could not bring herself to think that she wouldn't she him again. He would come back. He had to. 

She started to sleepwalk. Her mother heard footsteps and got up. What she found was her daughter sleepwalking asking over and over again, "When is Ben getting back?" 

It was more than she could stand. She woke up her daughter and told her, though it broke her heart as well, that Ben wasn't coming home. He never would. They both sobbed their hearts out, but it must be said Mary's mother did much more of the sobbing. Mary had the heartache that wouldn't leave for a very long time. Mary could not see how life could go on, it seemed so long since last night when she had wished herself into this, now she was already heartbroken. Life couldn't go on. 

But youth makes it. And so, it went on. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N Well, there you are. 

_Thank you, thank you, thank you very much…._


	2. Small Changes

**The Whole Bargain**

Chapter 2 

_"Small Changes"_

The old house in the hollow by the lakeshore was feared by the little children of Cohasset and Deer River. It was seldom approached, as it was near few other houses. It was supposedly deserted, and sometimes the little children in the area had the hardest "double-dog" dare of being told to go knock on the windows. But, if anyone had looked hard, they would see a car go every week into GrandItasca Hospital, twenty minutes away in Grand Rapids. 

Mary had boarded up the windows years ago because of it. She was too proud to let them see the utter decay of her house. Caroline, who had never married, was one of the only other people who ever saw inside it. Inside was a scanty smattering of furniture and rugs. There were no curtains and the rooms were musty. 

Caroline was worried. Mary was growing too reclusive, too like her father. Mary was too proud to find any way of help. She wouldn't save herself even while she could. The trouble was, Caroline reflected, that wasn't going to be much longer. Divorce would soon be out of the question, once his condition worsened. 

The old house was by a beautiful lake. It reflected the sky when it was calm, angry, hopeless, turning…any mood. That's what intrigued Mary. It was never in the same mood twice, like herself. So she never moved. 

*~*~*~*~*~*

She hadn't realized how sad it was. Her poor old house where her father had killed himself, and where her dear brother had died, and where she had made her wish. The wish that changed everything. It was all here. 

But it was so, so sad. It was crying out, wasn't it? It was saying "Help me, Mary, help me!" at the top of its lungs. It was slowly bending on its knees with the sagging roof. 

So, one morning in early August, she decided to fix it. Off came the window boards, the mold on the roof, the chipped red paint, giving way to whitewashed boards, and all the old carpets and wallpapers. Mary had, of course, done a thorough job. It was her nature to do so. 

It took almost all her savings, but she managed. She could do almost all the work herself, and had done. She did, however, have to call in a local plumber to fix the old rusted water pipes. Mary was sick of purifying lake water, as she was of trying to purify her life. 

It looked almost sweet again, like an old dream or letter too much thought about or too much read. It was like stepping back into memory-land. There were old things done that buzzed around her like bees over a pollen grain. It was like she was a small child going to Cohasset Elementary again.

But it was home again. 

*~*~*~*~*~*

"I can't do it Caroline." Her voice was firm. 

"But, you have to do something to pay for fixing up the house. Really, there is no other way." Caroline insisted. 

"I don't want him here, and that is final." Hard, like marble. 

"Mary you're being unreasonable. You need this money." Caroline's voice was almost begging. 

"I'll manage." Dignity must be upheld. 

"No you won't. Mary you know you have next to no income." Do it, do it, do it….Caroline's voice radiated concern and insistence. Mary's face might have been made out of stone. She deemed no reply. 

"How are you going to pay, Mary? You spent most of your savings, and now how are you going to pay for Richard's medical care? You know you will run out of money in a few years, and will have to sell all your land. Don't tell me that that plan hasn't crossed your mind, and that it hasn't made you shudder." Caroline knew her too well. And she was right. 

"Fine Caroline, but remember I am only doing this for the money." Dignity must be saved, somehow. 

"Any way is fine, so long as you give yourself this opportunity." 

*~*~*~*~*~*

It was spring again. The turning of the seasons had been monotonous for her for the last eight years that she had almost ceased to notice them at all. It was just like changing the window hangings, that was all. Just a different picture to see out of the windows of her house. 

Except now, just recently, she had started to feel excited. It was going to change. The monotony could cease. In this mood she decided to take a walk.   
  


She left Richard at Caroline's, who was glad that Mary wanted to get out, even if she didn't know where Mary was going. (Mary had a sixth and seventh sense that told her that Caroline wouldn't approve if she told her she was just going on a walk, and that she would insist on her going somewhere in public if she did.)

 Mary started out, not knowing where to traverse she started where a sign was pointing to a lake. Cedar Lake. It sounded very original around those parts and very pretty. The light from the sun fell through the bright young green leaves, making it as speckled as a toad's back. 

Lovely similes! Mary was more of a metaphor girl, but it seemed like such a perfect time for some similes. How perfectly lovely! 

The lake was as beautiful and lake-y as she had imagined it. That was the first thing is many years she could be pleasantly right about. It gave her new hope. Maybe she could still right her mistakes. She was only twenty-eight years old. There was time. 

*~*~*~*~*~*

At the end of the path there was a house.  It was big, square, gabled, and green trimmed. It was lovely, and homey. How deliciously homey! These people must be kindred spirits. They must! 

She opened the door. 

"Hello," she called into a very nice, neat, and trim white hall. 

"Hello there. Can I help you?" It was an older man's voice, coming from upstairs. 

"I was just wondering if I could stop here for a minute, and sit down. I've just taken a walk, and I pretty tired." Said she, without a thought to dignity. The man had a nice, kind voice. 

Instead of a replying, the older man, and an older woman were coming down the stairs. 

"Hello," the woman held out her hand, "My name is Margaret Boyd, and this is my husband Jim."

They both shook her hand.

"My name is Mary Moore. I live over in Cohasset. I was just taking a walk over by Cedar Lake, and I just needed a rest, and thank you for letting me stay…" Her voice trailed off. 

  
"No problem, dear. We're just going to have some tea. Won't you join us?" 

"I'd love some tea." 

They were indeed kindred spirits. Mr. and Mrs. Jim and Margaret Boyd were as kindred-y and as lovely and as old-fashioned as their lake. Jim was old and withered, but with twinkling blue eyes, and a nice warm smile Mary immediately liked. Margaret was old, but looked timeless with her gray elfin locks and her sparkle. Her pine brown eyes seemed to radiate niceness.

They had drunken their tea, and talked "cabbages and kings" till Mary's heart fairly throbbed with the happiness of finding kindred spirits. The hospital staff wouldn't have recognized her as the proud and haughty Mrs. Richard Moore. 

"Oh," she smiled into her pillow after getting Richard to sleep, "I hope that when David Ford comes he will be as nice and chummy as the Boyds!" 

And that seemed a pleasant thought to drift off to the land of dreams with. 

*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N I finally did it. You can all applaud now. Yay! 

And I just had to have a modern-day Lost Margaret in there. Just cause the story of Lost Margaret intrigues me so much. 

**Review Response:**

**Irish Princess:** Yay! I'm glad you like it! Being Anne or Faith would be cool. Especially Faith. I want a guy like Jem! Maybe Jem's looks and Walter's personality? I think that that would be the best guy you could get in the world! I hope you like this installment! 

**blue-fire40:** Don't worry; I love the character of Own Ford too much to keep his modern day equivalent out of there for long! 

**She-Elf:** I assume you are the one who leaves me the hilarious reviews on The Never Fading Rose. They always make me laugh very hard. Thanks, if you are. If you aren't that review made me laugh very hard too, and since I am out of 8th grade and now am in High School (which is scary, yet very easy) I think I might be able to get more time in for fanfiction. Oh, and I was wondering, are you Cara from the Avonlea Forum? Just cause if you are the reviewer from The Never Fading Rose your reviews always sound like Cara. Yeah. Thanks for reviewing! 

**stephanie**: Thanks for reviewing and your helpful plot ideas. I'll defiantly try not to follow her life exactly, and hopefully I have started using more of my own ideas with this chapter. 

So there you all are. Till next time! Please be dears and drop me a review! They make me so happy! 

The Minnesotan

@@@marzoog@@@


	3. Whispers of the Past

**The Whole Bargain**

Chapter 3

_"Whispers of the Past"_

It was the day. Mary had could have bitten her tongue, just to relieve her nerves. He was coming. He was coming to stay. She didn't even know why she said she would take him in, but there was the need for money, and he did need to be in fresh air, and he was Caroline's cousin, and Caroline didn't have enough room while there was this family reunion…

She wondered why money was her first reason for everything nowadays. Why couldn't she feel that she was letting him stay just to help Caroline out with her family reunion? Was there something ungenerous about her nature? 

Mary would have been sized up by any great psychologist as not un-generous, but as desperately proud. Those years of poverty and scandal had done something to her. She had been warped from a nice, kind, friendly girl, into a haughty and jaded woman. 

And Richard had done it all. 

*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been a Friday night. Sitting there in the twilight by her lake, Mary bitterly remembered that night in her first year in college. She had been going to ICC (the local community college) and there had been a party. There were always parties. Mary had gone to a few in High School, but had gotten a general dislike of them. 

She had only gone to this one because she thought there would be no drinking. Richard Moore had told her so, and, since she had had no reason to distrust him, had gone. 

At first it had been fun. She hadn't seen any drinking, hadn't really thought about seeing any drinking, and had been talking to some people that she knew from class. Much more fun than her usual Friday night movie and pizza. 

And then they brought out the drinks. Mary, now thinking of it, shuddered. She had never had a glass of alcohol in her life. Her mother had seen many bottles of beers around the room where her father had killed himself, and so had gotten rid of all the alcohol in the house. There had never been any more since. 

Mary in her inexperience did not know anything about the effects of alcohol. She hadn't known that when Richard told her he loved her forever, and wanted to show her, it was just the one too many glasses of vodka he'd had speaking. 

And she had been left to rot here, sitting on the cold rock by the freezing lake, because of it. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Four hours. That was how long it had lived. It had been premature, and it had been tiny and weak. But it had been hers. All hers. She had sung to it, and cuddled it, and watched it disappear behind a glass and never come back. 

Life just wasn't fair. 

*~*~*~*~*~*

At dusk he came. And it felt that so did her heart, right along with him. 

He was dark haired and well built, but it was his eyes. They were dark and alluring in moonlight, and looked like she had known him eons ago, under some dancing star that she had been cheated out of in this life. 

He was dear, and witty, and everything she could have ever asked of a man. 

But she became frozen, almost instantly. She wouldn't, couldn't….

"Oh…" She sobbed into her pillow, demanding of the fates, "Why couldn't I have met him first?"

_"Why?"_

*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N Yep. I actually wrote a third chapter. I am actually getting somewhere with this fic. Aren't you all impressed? 

Ruby: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you think it's interesting! 


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